


You Don't Have to Burn Alone

by GinnyRose



Series: Zuko Omegaverse [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang Tries, Aang is a sweetheart, Aang wants to be friends, Alpha Aang, Alpha Sokka, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Katara, But with omegas, Cultural Differences, Everyone Thinks Zuko is a Beta, Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Let Toph Say Fuck, Let Zuko Say Fuck, Mild Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, No Sex, Oblivious Gaang, Omega Zuko, POV Aang (Avatar), POV Zuko (Avatar), Post-Day of the Black Sun, Pre-Katara & Zuko Friendship, So Toph Does, Stubborn Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Toph Being Awesome, Toph Says Omega Rights, Zuko Can't Take Care of Himself, Zuko Deserves Nice Things, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko wants to suffer in peace, heat - Freeform, kind of, minor sexism, scent masking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25474327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyRose/pseuds/GinnyRose
Summary: Zuko would never be considered particularly aware of his own body. It had never been much of an issue, before.At least it hadn't until he found himself about to enter a heat with absolutely no supplies in an abandoned air temple surrounded by near strangers-turned-reluctant-allies.None of whom were omegas.Or even knew that he was one.Or even liked him, for that matter.This was going to be a nightmare.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: Zuko Omegaverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849210
Comments: 33
Kudos: 1469
Collections: AtLA <25k fics to read, Finished Avatar Fics





	You Don't Have to Burn Alone

**Author's Note:**

> So quick note before the story begins: I love alpha/beta/omega stories in general but especially ones that focus on the social implications of having the three orientations so that's what this story focuses on. As the lack of warnings suggest, there is no dubcon or anything remotely sexual like the sort that sometimes appear in other alpha/beta/omega stories. Heats are treated more or less like particularly awful menstrual cycles in this universe.

Zuko should have known it was coming. Had he been paying attention, it wouldn’t have snuck up on him but he had been distracted ever since he had left his home to join the Avatar and in all honesty, it wasn’t like Zuko was great at keeping track of his body in the best of conditions. It had usually always been, embarrassingly enough, a gentle reminder from his uncle that had Zuko realizing that _it_ was approaching.

But Uncle was gone and Zuko, currently living in an abandoned air temple with former enemies, was pretty far from the best of conditions. And so it had snuck up on him. He had simply woken feeling flushed and strangely lethargic, unwilling to get up even though the sun was already half risen. He hadn’t connected the dots right away – he and the Avatar had just come back from the Sun Warriors, it was expected that he would be a little tired and it was nothing he hadn’t pushed through before. But then he had made the mistake of sitting up, instigating a sharp but brief pain in his lower abdomen.

Zuko hadn’t been injured in the journey, nor in the demonstration he and Aang gave the rest of their group. And he hadn’t had any injuries before that, not even from Katara who often looked as though she wanted nothing more than to stab him in the stomach with an icicle. There was no reason for him to be in pain. No reason at all unless –

And that was when it had hit him. Quickly as he could, Zuko did some mental math and cringed at the realization. He had often been told, by the palace healers and several of the omega servants who his father had called upon to explain to Zuko about his “episodes”, as they had often been disparagingly called, that he was lucky at how regular his heats were. Once every three months like clockwork ever since Zuko had presented at twelve. It was just about the only luck Zuko had ever had and it was its own form of bad luck that the only thing he was fortunate in was the secure knowledge that once every three months Zuko had four days that were exceedingly worse than the normal shitstorm every other day of his life was.

In fairness to Zuko, it wasn’t like he had ever been given a proper adjustment to his heats. Almost as soon as the first one had passed with Zuko stuck in his room feverish, cramping, and bored out of his mind with only a single omega servant to help him take cool baths and fetch him hearty, omega-approved foods, and guards at his door to ensure no one came in, his father had ordered him on suppressants. The suppressants hadn’t stopped the heats of course – nothing could do that except age – but they had brought the fever and the pains down enough that Zuko didn’t feel like some evil spirit was carving into his abdomen while a dragon breathed fire onto his entire body and they also toned down his scent back to non-heat levels so that, rather than being stuck alone in his bedroom lest he “tempt all the alphas like some common omega whore,” Zuko could be out around the palace, training and attending his classes.

Zuko had, when he was younger, considered the suppressants a spirits-given gift. They brought his heat down to manageable levels of pain that meant he could still train, still work to make his father proud even though he knew he could never reach the same level as Azula, who had of course presented as an alpha at eleven. Then, when he had been banished, he had appreciated the small store of them his uncle had managed to procure as the lifeline they were. His crew was as loyal as they could be, of course, but even with the best of crews, a ship in the middle of the ocean was not a good place for a heat. The suppressants and the training in how to mask his naturally overly pungent (as Azula always described it, wrinkling her noise as though the smell of omega was distasteful despite being friends with Ty Lee) scent so that it read as beta rather than omega was what kept Zuko safe in his years abroad. Not even his crew knew his true orientation, merely assuming he was a beta who got even more grumpy than usual every few months.

Zuko had only had one unmedicated heat since his first, and the miserable four days he had spent in Song and her mother’s home, sweating on a sparse bed roll next to his worried uncle were not ones he had any desire to repeat. He had vowed to himself, once he was done, that he would do anything to ensure he didn’t go through another full heat, no matter what he had to do to prevent it. Finding a merchant with the right kinds of herbs at a reasonable price had been one of the first things he had looked for once they had settled in Ba Sing Se and once back at the palace, he had made several discreet visits with the palace healers to ensure they still had a stock of the suppressants.

But Zuko had been – understandably – distracted upon leaving the palace during the Day of Black Sun and although he had made sure to grab his swords, he had not thought to take any of the precious herbs.

Which led to him here, inwardly cursing as another throb echoed throughout his body. He wasn’t in true heat, of course – that would hit tomorrow or perhaps the next day, that part of the whole thing was never as precise as the rest – but preheat was nearly as bad as his normal suppressed heat, especially whenever it caught Zuko by surprise. Which would have been always if Uncle hadn’t been around to give him a gentle reminder when he, the most familiar with Zuko’s scent and the only one looking out for nearly indiscernible changes, caught the subtle difference heats always brought on.

He would need to take the medicine soon if he wanted to avoid a full heat. But, somehow thanks to Zuko’s truly spectacular luck, he was the only omega in the entirety of the Avatar’s group – not that they knew he was one, as he had been just as careful to dull his scent at the air temple as he had on the Wani. No one else would have the medicine.

But perhaps, if the spirits didn’t hate him entirely, Katara would have the herbs. Omega suppressants used the same types of herbs as the medicines beta women used to curb their own monthly symptoms – as the herbal woman Zuko had sought in Ba Sing Se had kindly explained – just in different quantities and ratios. Katara, as both a beta girl and as the group’s healer, was Zuko’s best – and only – chance at getting the herbs. Of course, then, the difficulty lay in convincing her to give _him_ any of them.

Zuko absolutely hated asking the waterbending girl for anything. He had purposely skipped meals after arriving to the campfire a little late just because her challenging glare had been too fierce for him to ask for a bowl. He couldn’t imagine what her reaction would be to him asking for herbs without even being able to explain why he needed them.

But the alternative was to go through a full heat which would, on top of being absolutely terrible, out him as an omega amongst a mostly not hostile but not quite friendly group consisting of two alphas, three betas and two unpresented children. Zuko didn’t need to have all the warnings the healers and his uncle had drilled into him to know why that was an _awful_ idea.

He would have to go to Katara then and hope she was feeling generous. With a groan that had more to do with the prospect of going to the waterbender than the faint, clenching pain in his abdomen, Zuko rose from his bed roll and made his way reluctantly from his room. He, as the most unwelcome member of their ragtag group, always spent his nights apart from the group although still close enough that he could hear any approaching trouble, and so he had almost a full two minutes’ walk to the main area to try and come up with some excuse good enough to make Katara give him anything.

The temple was quiet – even though it was later than when Zuko normally rose, the rest of the group rose later still. For the first time, Zuko was grateful that the group was full of late risers. He knew his scent would already be stronger and although the rest of the group hadn’t made a habit of checking his scent closely – it would be a supreme invasion of privacy if they did – the difference might already be enough for Aang or Sokka to take notice. The absolute last thing he needed was for either of them to start questioning him. He knew he was a terrible liar and it wouldn’t even take Toph for them to realize whatever excuse he could come up with was false.

No, it was really quite fortunate that as Zuko approached the main courtyard where they held their meals, only Katara was moving around, preparing a simple breakfast with practiced ease.

Unfortunately but not surprisingly, that was where Zuko’s luck ran out. 

Katara looked up at his approaching footsteps and Zuko saw her face immediately harden before she turned back to her task, soundly ignoring him. He had known this would be difficult but it didn’t make the waterbender’s less than welcome response to him any easier to deal with. But she was his only chance for keeping his secret and making his next few days bearable so he steeled himself. He had confronted his own father on the day of Black Sun, he could ask Katara for this.

“Um…” He began. His voice was quieter than he had intended but he knew Katara had heard him as she glanced back at him.

“What?” She asked, her voice snappish and Zuko had to hold back a wince. His emotions were always a little harder to control around his heats, especially in response to hostility. Azula had often taken advantage of his heats to see how quickly she could set him off and then gloated about how she, as an alpha, was always in complete control of herself.

“Umm…” he repeated, trying not to wilt under her glare. “I – I was wondering if you had…” he had come up with a plan for what to say on his walk over but it had all fled once Katara was actually in front of him. He hated to admit it, but his interactions with the waterbending girl often went like this.

“Had what?” Katara snapped impatiently. “I don’t have time for this, Zuko. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m in the middle of making a meal for everyone.” She gestured expansively at the large pot she had going over a lowly burning fire. Zuko couldn’t stop from wincing then even as a spike of irritation went through him. Katara often pointedly complained how people didn’t help enough but the few times Zuko had offered to assist in making the meals, she had sneered him away. As far as he was concerned, she brought the work onto herself. Not that he was _ever_ going to point that out.

“Right, sorry.” He said, tamping down his irritation with some difficulty. “I was wondering if, um, if you had –“ her glare was increasing and Zuko knew he was literally seconds away from being shouted out. Throwing caution to the wind, he pushed on quickly. “-ifyouhadanyherbs.” For a moment, he thought Katara hadn’t understood him and he would be forced to repeat himself but the irritation on her face melted somewhat into confusion.

“Herbs? What kind of herbs?” There was unguarded suspicion in her voice, but she hadn’t outright said no either. It wasn’t a good sign, necessarily, but it also wasn’t a terrible one. Zuko would take a neutral sign happily.

Except now he had to get into detail without actually getting into detail. “Medical…ones.” He suggested, his voice unsure. Katara narrowed her eyes. “I have a stomachache,” he added lamely. Katara’s face hardened once more and Zuko knew the battle was lost before she even spoke.

“Even if I had any medical herbs, I wouldn’t give them to _you_.” Katara said scathingly. “I’m sure it’ll be difficult but even a prince like you should be able to handle a little stomachache.” She added, her voice mockingly cruel as she turned back to her pot. Knowing that he was as good as dismissed and also that it would be a patently awful idea to foul Katara’s mood even farther, Zuko took his leave quickly, his mind racing.

He didn’t think Katara was lying about the herbs; she had no reason to when she could have just as easily told him no. Which meant that his half-hearted second plan of trying to steal some was also a no-go. Even if he had been able to summon the courage to try and steal from the waterbender, an act he was sure she would treat as a betrayal of the group, she wouldn’t even have any for him to take. And the logical third option, to go out and buy some on his own, was also null. Even if he took Appa, which would involve at least one other person because there was no way Katara would allow him to take the flying bison on his own, they were at least a day’s trip from any market that wouldn’t recognize him. He couldn’t risk having a full-on heat start mid-travel or in the market.

He could try and find some on his own, of course, but on top of Zuko’s questionable botany skills, he had traversed around the temple many times without seeing any plants remotely similar to the ones he needed for the suppressants. And he couldn’t risk his heat starting in the middle of the woods anymore than he could on top of a flying bison.

There was no way for him to get the medicine in time.

Which mean there was only a single option left to him.

He would have to let his heat happen.

He would have to undergo a full-blown heat in the middle of an abandoned air temple, surrounded by borderline unfriendlies, completely alone.

Zuko forced down his panic as he walked quickly through the hallway, ignoring the way the pain in his abdomen rolled and surged. He had endured having half his face burned and years of banishment. He had starved for three weeks drifting on a raft with nothing but the few feeble fish he and his uncle managed to catch. He had survived being a refugee in a foreign and hostile country. He had redirected his father’s attempt to kill him. He could handle a simple heat.

He needed to collect food and water. He wouldn’t be able to leave his room, once the heat actually hit, and although Aang or even Toph, who was surprisingly comfortable around him despite the fact that he had burned her, might try to bring him some food, Zuko wasn’t about to count on it. Omegas typically ate fatty, high carb foods during heats – they burned through food so quickly that they were at a higher risk of malnourishment in general but the risk nearly quadrupled during heats – but Zuko would have to make do with any fish he could catch and dry himself and any fruits and vegetables he could gather from the abandoned, wild gardens around the temple. It wasn’t ideal, but it would get him through.

He nearly walked into Aang emerging from one of the temple’s bathing rooms. The other boy’s face was still wet from washing off the remnants of his sleep and he looked guilty as he caught sight of Zuko, obviously aware that he had slept into his lesson time. Zuko would have scolded him but he didn’t have time. He sped up slightly as he passed the Avatar, hoping beyond hope that the younger boy wouldn’t catch wind of his elevated scent. “Not feeling well. Training’s canceled. Work on meditation and hot squats.” He told him briskly as he passed. Aang made some sound – either of surprise or distress – but Zuko paid him no mind as he slipped into his room.

He waited several moments, his heart pounding a little hard. There was every chance that Aang would come to his room, because he had smelled Zuko or because he was worried about him being ill or so he could demand his lesson. But when several minutes passed without a sound from the Avatar, Zuko allowed himself to relax somewhat and begin packing a few things to help him on his foraging. Aang was a kind child, was even almost a friend to Zuko after their field trip to the dragons, but Zuko was still mostly a stranger to him and was obviously functional enough despite his claim of illness. He wouldn’t concern himself too much with the former prince.

Just to be sure, Zuko took the small window out of his room, rather than the door and made his way towards the ground as quickly as he could. His body was less responsive than it usually was, but Zuko was well-used to pushing his body through his suppressed heats and he pressed on relentlessly.

He didn’t know how long he had until his actual heat hit him and he needed to be back with enough water and food to last himself at least four days. And he also needed to find a way to barricade his door, on the chance that the others would come looking for him. Especially if Aang or Sokka was sent to look for him. Zuko didn’t think either would hurt him intentionally, unless Zuko struck out at them first, but he had enough experience with other alphas in his life to know it was never wise to appear fully vulnerable in front of any of them.

His uncle had been the only alpha to ever see Zuko in the midst of a full-blown heat and, as long as everything went well, that would remain the case once this horror story was over.

The glaring fact that after this, barring a _massive_ streak of good luck that Zuko would never in his life receive, his status at a beta and every single privilege he had managed to scrape from it would forever be irrevocably lost was not one Zuko let himself dwell on.

He would deal with it once his heat had passed. He had dealt with his father’s ire and disgust after his first one, he would be able to handle this group of children.

Probably.

* * *

Aang was worried. He wasn’t generally the worrier of the group – that was typically reserved for Katara along with her spot as team mom – but as the object of his worry was _Zuko_ , he couldn’t exactly expect Katara to fulfill the role.

It had been decidedly odd when the older teen had brushed off Aang the previous morning with the hasty excuse of being ill – Aang had once witnessed the other boy fend off actual arrows with dao swords and knew he wasn’t exactly the type to give up over a minor ache or pain. But Aang had decided to let it go because Zuko was at least up and about and not dying quietly somewhere in the temple. And everyone else slacked off a little sometimes, it was only fair to allow Zuko his own turn. Especially because the boy had smelled a little off – not that Aang had actually tried to closely smell Zuko, that was incredibly rude without explicit permission especially from an alpha; it was just that it was hard _not_ to notice something like that. Zuko had a faint scent, even for a beta, so it had been strange that it had been a little more present than normal was all. Even if Aang still couldn’t quite make out what his scent reminded him of.

Some sicknesses, Aang knew, could temporarily change someone’s scent but they were mostly harmless ones, summer colds and mild fevers generally. And Aang didn’t really want to firebend – he was still tired from their trip with the dragons and he knew Toph would want to exact her own pound of flesh from him in the form of training, especially because he had managed to go on his personal adventure with the former fire prince without her. So he had let it go.

But then Zuko hadn’t turned up for breakfast Or lunch. Or dinner. Or the after-dinner “reconnaissance” meetings that were really just stories over the campfire. Not that he generally spent much time at those, with Katara so hostile towards him and the rest of the group, sans Toph and now him, still unsure of him. He had tried to convince Katara to let him bring a bowl of rice to the other boy but she had steadfastly refused with the reason that if Zuko was well enough to come out and try to get medicine from her, he was well enough to get his own food. Especially since he had done nothing else but hole up in his room for the rest of the day.

Aang hadn’t agreed with her of course. No one should be deprived food, whatever the reasons. But he was also quite fond of the path of least resistance and so he had snuck a bowl of extra rice while her back was turned and had immediately tiptoed off to offer it to Zuko after dinner. But Zuko hadn’t answered his door – Aang actually wouldn’t have even thought he was in his room if it hadn’t been for the fact that no one had seen Zuko leave. Zuko could be sneaky but Aang found it hard to believe that even the former prince was capable of sneaking past _Toph_.

He had assumed the older boy was sleeping off his illness – without medicine, rest was always the best solution to a mild ailment – and had left the small bowl carefully by the door before returning back to the group before Katara could catch him, feeling satisfied that he had at least done something for his firebending master.

Aang had assumed, like the rest of the group, that Zuko’s ailment would pass quickly. Katara had vouched that Zuko had seemed perfectly fine to her when she had seen him early before everyone else and even though she was the coldest towards the former prince, Aang highly doubted she would lie about _anyone’s_ health. And Aang himself had seen him up and about so whatever bug he had caught couldn’t have been too bad. So, assuming Zuko would be up and ready to train just like any normal day, he had gotten himself up once the first rays of light had risen in the sky and, after quickly getting ready in the bathing room, had hurried to the designated firebending courtyard. 

Where he had proceeded to wait nearly an hour just for Zuko to never show.

That was when he had begun to really worry. Zuko hadn’t seemed very sick the day before and he had at least had the strength to come out and inform Aang they wouldn’t be carrying out any full-fledged lesson. Aang couldn’t imagine what would have prevented the boy from coming out after nearly a full day’s rest.

Zuko probably wouldn’t like Aang to go after him, but if the older boy who was determined enough to chase Aang across the world was so sick he couldn’t even come out of his room, he surely would make an exception. With that thought in mind, Aang had quickly gone back into the temple and down the hallway towards Zuko’s room.

He had expected it to be quiet, had expected to have to carefully open Zuko’s makeshift bedroom’s door so as not to wake the sleeping boy. He had _not_ expected to be bombarded by the saccharine, almost over-powerful scent of an omega in heat right before he could crack open the door.

Aang had some experience with omega in heat – before the war and the deaths of his entire people, a few of the other boys in his temple had presented as omegas. They were less common than girl omegas, of course, but there had still been some. One of his closest friends, Gyomo, had been an omega. And the monks had made a point of teaching all the boys what to expect and how to properly act around an omega in heat.

While omegas were just as capable of the other two orientations, they were quite vulnerable during heats. Heats were painful and uncomfortable, far more so than even the monthly trials beta girls went through, and omegas typically sought out comforts like a well-cushioned nest and a few close friends, if possible. Mated omegas – a true rarity amongst the nomads who valued spiritual freedom far above any earthly bound like a mating – typically chose to spend their heats with the comfort of their spouse and perhaps their children, if they had any.

And they, as a general rule, were kept away from alphas. The monks had been particularly firm in that regard, although they had been strangely aloof in explaining why, at first. It had taken a few – admittedly shameful – attempts from Aang, a newly presented alpha, to get ahold of Gyomo during one of his heats before Gyatso had pulled his ward aside and carefully explained the reasons. In older times, in other nations and even amongst the air nomads, omegas had been regarded as lesser to alphas and betas, and they had been treated incredibly poorly, especially during heats. It became the job of a good alpha, then, to allow omegas space during their most vulnerable times; to force attention on themselves when an omega was going through a heat was incredibly unkind and selfish.

The only exception was, of course, if an omega chose to invite an alpha into their nest to be a comfort. Aang had understood that well enough and he had never tried to sneak into the sectioned off area of the temple that was meant only for omegas in heat again. He had understood even more once he had mastered air and began visiting other nations on his own and saw the ways other cultures treated omegas.

In the Earth Kingdom, Bumi had explained in several off-hand comments that omegas were thought as delicate, soft, and best kept close at home where their parents could watch over them until a desirable match between an alpha or beta could be made for them. They weren’t allowed most jobs, they couldn’t inherit property in their own right unless no beta or alpha relatives were around to inherit in their place, and they could only do things outside the house under the watchful eye of a family member or spouse. And they were to be completely sequestered during their heats, for their own protection, with no exceptions even for their own children. Toph, whose parents had assumed she would present as an omega because of her perceived “delicateness”, had told him that, more or less, the same ideas still stuck even now.

The Fire Nation, as Kuzon had told him, had thought omegas the physically weakest of the orientations and more subject to baser desires because of their nature, but also incredibly resilient, because of how used they were to pain both because of their heats and childbirth, and more emotionally capable than either alphas and betas. They had more autonomy than Earth Kingdom omegas, able to hold jobs in their own right and marry outside their families’ desires. The modern Fire Nation, from what Aang had gathered while undercover, had only grown stauncher in their beliefs. Omegas were the only children exempt from the draft, although a trained omega wasn’t outright forbidden from joining the military, and there had been separate classes for them in school that dealt with what they had euphemistically called “omega matters.” Heats in the Fire Nation were considered distasteful to talk about, so Aang didn’t have much knowledge on how they were handled, but judging from the way his teacher had remarked on a few students’ absences as “excused for omega problems”, he had assumed they were also sequestered.

As for the Water Tribe, Aang hadn’t had much experience with their beliefs before the iceberg, because of how far away the poles were but, judging by how reluctant the Northern Tribe had been to teach Katara waterbending just because she was a beta girl and how the chief had been so willing to arrange a loveless marriage for his own omega daughter, he knew it wasn’t particularly good. He knew nothing of their heats.

Aang knew all this about heats, both from his limited personal experience at the air temple, and from his travels. But he was still incredibly confused as to what was going on. Air nomads themselves had never sequestered omegas completely away, merely gave them privacy away from alphas, and it was completely normal for Gyomo and the others to choose a beta or an omega friend or two to keep them company and for even Aang to see them from a distance, when the heat wasn't too bad yet, lounging around in one of the courtyards forbidden to alphas. Aang understood the desire to seek someone out for company, but he couldn’t see why Toph, who was incredibly independent and had also been raised with Earth Kingdom cultural values, would choose to spend her first heat in such a decidedly airbending fashion. Or why she would choose _Zuko_ to be her beta companion.

It had to be Toph who was in heat. She and the Duke were the only unpresented members of their group, and Duke still had a few years before he was old enough to present. He knew it had to be her just as much as he knew she must be hating her orientation. Aang didn’t put much value in the ideas of omegas as a weaker orientation but he did know that, as a general rule, omegas tended to be gentler than their alpha and beta counterparts. Toph would hate to be thought gentle and, if Aang was to stereotype even slightly, she didn’t really fit the bill of any of the nations’ notions about omegas. She must have been miserable when it began and so she had sought someone for company to make herself a little less miserable.

Aang wouldn’t have expected her to go to Haru or Teo – she didn’t know them very well and neither of them had admittedly made much of an impression on the earthbender. But Aang didn’t know why she wouldn’t have picked Katara, whom she knew very well and who probably knew exactly what to do to ease a heat, over _Zuko_ , who she knew the least and who had once accidentally burned her feet.

But an omega’s choice was an omega’s choice and Aang had to respect that, no matter how strange it seemed to him. Toph had chosen Zuko to be her comfort and Aang wouldn’t get in between that.

It made sense, now, why Zuko hadn’t shown up to their training. He must have thought it incredibly unkind to leave Toph in a vulnerable state. But Zuko was also ill and Aang didn’t know if he had any experience with how to handle an omega’s heat. Toph probably wouldn’t either, with it being her first.

Aang would respect Toph’s choices, of course, but he also couldn’t let her needlessly suffer. He himself, as an alpha, couldn’t and wouldn’t go into that room without her express permission, but surely, she wouldn’t begrudge him getting Katara? At the very least he could make sure that Katara made Toph something more substantial than their usual fare. Gyomo had always eaten much more during and right after his heat than any other time. Something about the way his body burned through the food, he was fairly certain.

With that thought in mind, Aang carefully stepped away from the door before turning and rushing down the hall, hoping to catch Katara before too many of the others were up and about. It wouldn’t do to embarrass Toph by announcing to the entire group that she had suddenly presented in the night.

In such haste to get Katara was Aang that he hardly reflected on how strangely altered Toph’s scent now was – he hadn’t expected her fully presented scent to resemble blossomed fire lilies and campfire so much.

Katara was in the courtyard, nearly finished with making breakfast and Aang breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her. A relief that was quickly dashed when he noticed that Haru, Teo with a still sleeping the Duke on his lap, _and_ Sokka were already up and about in the courtyard as well. Aang would have to be careful then, so that they didn’t pick up on anything strange. With a badly forced air of calm, Aang raced over to Katara just as she began dolling out scoops of rice into everyone’s bowl.

She looked up at him just as he came to a stop right in front of her. “Good morning Aang.” She told him with a soft smile that would normally send his heart beating just a little faster. “How was firebending practice?” She darted a look over his shoulder then as though expecting Zuko to be slipping in behind Aang as he often did. Her smile flickered when she saw no one was there. “Did he cancel on you _again_?” She demanded and Aang, who understood all of Katara’s hesitancies around the former prince but still wished she could be a _little_ more accepting of him, rushed to explain before she decided to march off and lecture Zuko.

“Yes, but that’s not important!”

“Not _important_?” And now Katara sounded irritated with him. Aang _hated_ when she was mad at him. “The only reason we allowed him to join was to teach you firebending! And now –“

“Katara, not now!” Aang didn’t usually interrupt Katara but her voice was rising and he was still trying not draw anyone else’s attention. “Zuko had a good reason! He’s with Toph and –“

“Did he burn her _again_?” And now Katara sounded murderous and all of the others in the courtyard had turned to watch them. Monkey Feathers, Aang was really bad at this.

“No! No, Toph –“

“What about me, Twinkle Toes?” Aang startled at the sound of Toph’s voice. Had she heard him outside Zuko’s room and come out because she would rather explain what was happening to her? But didn’t she know it was better to rest through heats? And why couldn’t he smell the almost cloying scent of an omega in heat?

Aang turned, expecting to see a feverish, irritated Toph and was instead greeted by the normal, relatively put together but still way dirtier than anyone else Toph. Aang blinked. Toph didn’t look like someone going through their first presentation. Cautiously and as unobtrusively as possible, he sniffed deeply. He could smell Katara besides him, the faint smell of sea water and moonflowers, and he could smell Sokka from across the courtyard, all sea salt and steel, but nothing else. No fire lilies or campfire, apart from Katara’s cooking fire. He knew the others had scents, but as betas and unpresented children, they were too far away to catch. But that didn’t make any sense because if Toph wasn’t presenting –

Oh.

Oh _no_.

Aang realized his mistake far, far too late.

Toph hadn’t gone seek comfort from Zuko because she was going through a heat and wanted comfort from a beta. Toph didn’t even know what was going on.

Which left only Zuko.

Zuko, whose scent was fainter than most other people.

Zuko, who was still new to the group and wary around everyone.

Zuko, who always stayed a little further away than everyone and who patently refused to allow anyone to scent or be scented by him.

Zuko, who had never once, to Aang’s knowledge, ever displayed any characteristic of an omega.

Zuko, who had said he felt unwell and had shied away from everyone in the group.

Zuko, who was definitely, definitely _not_ a beta.

“Aang?” Katara’s voice, now tinged with a bit of worry, broke Aang from his reverie and he had to visibly shake his head to dispel the spiral the realization that _Zuko was an omega_ had sent him into. “What did Zuko do to Toph?”

“You told Sugar Queen Zuko did something to me?” Toph sounded vaguely outraged. And _loud_. If any of the other boys hadn’t been paying attention, they certainly were _now_. “Zuko hasn’t even been out of his room! He’s been tossing and turning all night! He's really not feeling well,” Toph continued and oh spirits, why did she have to say _that_?

“That’s what I meant!” Aang decided to wildly improvise. It wouldn’t be the first time he had done so and he would do almost anything to keep the others from finding out about Zuko. He had thought Toph would be angry if he told everyone she was going through a heat but she was nothing compared to how _Zuko_ would react. Toph had never seriously tried to fight him and _she_ didn’t have multiple swords to stab him with. “I think Zuko’s unwell and I really think you should come with me to check on him, Katara!”

Katara looked unconvinced. So did the others, who had all come close to fully hear the conversation. “You said Toph, though. I heard you say Toph, Aang.”

Aang let out a nervous laugh. “I didn’t say Toph! Why would I have said Toph? It’s Zuko who’s unwell!”

Katara looked even less convinced and a little irritated that Aang was trying to deny what they both knew she had heard. But Katara was a kind soul and there was no denying that the absent firebender probably was under the weather. “If Zuko really is sick, someone should probably bring him food.” There was a grudgingness to her voice, but still that was better than outright denial. If Aang could just convince her to bring the food herself, she would realize the problem herself. Zuko and Katara really didn’t get along, but Katara was still the best bet at knowing how to help the boy.

“I’ll bring it to him. I have to go down that hallway anyway to get to the good fishing spot.” Sokka volunteered after a moment, his voice a bit unsure. The whole group knew Aang was keeping _something_ from them, but hopefully they all thought it was some firebending thing and not an orientation thing.

Still, Aang couldn’t let Sokka who was an _alpha_ stumble upon Zuko.

“No!” Aang said quickly, sending out a small burst of wind to stop Sokka from reaching down and picking up one of the bowls of rice Katara had abandoned. Everyone looked at him as though he had gone insane. “I mean, what if it’s contagious? Katara should check him out, make sure it’s not, you know? It’d be _really_ bad if all of us got sick.” Spirits, Aang was bad at lying. And he knew Toph _knew_ he was lying; he just had to hope that her weird fondness for Zuko would keep her from pressing Aang’s deception.

There was silence for a moment in the courtyard and Aang’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Any moment now Toph was going to denounce him as a liar or one of the others was going to accuse him of being one. He was going to have to tell them what Zuko was going through; he was going to have betray the poor guy’s trust and –

“Alright, fine. If you’re that worried, I’ll come check on him.” Katara finally broke the silence, her voice begrudging. Aang wanted to kiss her. More than usual, anyway.

“Excellent, come on! We shouldn’t dally any!” Aang grabbed Katara’s hand and began quickly pulling her to the hallway. “You all stay put in case it’s contagious!” He called back over his shoulder. He was pretty sure that the moment he was gone, Toph was going to rat him out but as long as he could get Katara to know what was going on, she could help him figure out a way to keep everyone away from Zuko. Maybe she’d even be willing to lie for the firebender and tell everyone he really _was_ contagious. It wouldn’t fool Toph, but there was no fooling Toph anyway.

“Aang, slow down!” Katara demanded as they began going down the hallway. Aang didn’t until he was sure they were far enough that his words wouldn’t be overheard. Then, just as suddenly as he had grabbed her, he stopped and turned to face her. He should warn her before they got close enough that she could smell Zuko.

“Zuko’s not sick.” He told her. Katara’s expression was a mixture of confused and thunderous.

“If he’s not sick, what are we _doing_?” She demanded and Aang knew he had only a few seconds to explain before she stormed away back into the courtyard.

“I mean, he is unwell. But he’s not sick. It’s actually an entirely natural occurrence, but I don’t know if he’s comfortable or getting enough food or –“

“Aang, _what is going on_?” Katara sounded on the verge of yelling and if she began yelling, he knew everyone would come running.

“Zuko is in _heat_.” He whispered quickly. His words seemed to temporarily stun Katara. But then –

“Oh, very funny. A really funny prank. Look, I know that for some reason he and you are close now but I really don’t want to be the butt of some stupid Fire Nation prank. I have other things to do –“

“It’s not a prank, I swear!” Aang interrupted quickly. Katara made a sound surprisingly close to a snort.

“Right. I’m just supposed to believe that _Zuko_ is in heat. I don’t know what the Air Nomads taught you about the orientations but _betas_ don’t go through heats.” Aang let out a noise that might have been a groan and grabbed Katara’s hand. They didn’t have time to argue!

“I know _that._ ” He said, only a little annoyed on his own behalf as he began pulling Katara down the hallway towards Zuko’s room once more. He wasn’t _that_ young – he'd presented almost a year before the iceberg and he’d been taught how orientations worked! “But Zuko’s _not_ a beta,” he declared, coming to a stop right in front of the room. Aang could see the moment Katara caught Zuko’s scent in the air because her expression went from irritated to thunderstruck.

“Zuko’s an _omega_?” She whispered; her voice sounded incredulous. Aang nodded.

“Zuko’s in _heat_?” She added. Aang knew this was a shocking situation and he should have been understanding that it was a lot to take in, but he really needed Katara to be quicker on the uptake. They needed to make sure Zuko was okay and figure out a way to keep everyone else out of the hall.

“Yes! And I need you to make sure he’s alright in there. I don’t know if he’s got everything!” Aang told her, gesturing towards the door as if inviting her to open it.

“Why _me_?” Katara asked, still whispering. “I’m not an omega!”

“I _know_ that!” Aang responded immediately. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Omegas are only supposed to be around omegas during their heats!” Katara answered, flapping her hands in panic as she spoke. “Omegas are the most spiritual orientation and heats are a sacred time when they are closest to the spirit world! Only other omegas are supposed to be around them!” So that’s _what_ the Water Tribe thought about heats. Shockingly unhelpful.

“That’s not true!” Aang argued. He normally didn’t contravene people’s views – every viewpoint was important and no culture was more right than another’s – but as the bridge between the human and the spirit world he was fairly certain _he_ would know if omegas were more spiritual than alphas or betas. “They just shouldn’t be around alphas unless they are comfortable with them! We need to make sure he has everything he needs!”

“But I don’t know what he needs!” Katara argued back. Neither had realized that their voices had risen above whispers. “Omegas always go to special huts during their heats at the South Pole, no one is allowed around them!”

“Are you _serious_?” Aang demanded, trying and failing to keep the irritation out of his voice. It wasn’t Katara’s fault that the South Pole had traditions so wildly different from Aang was used to but he had been counting on her being able to help him.

“Hey Sugar Queen, Twinkle Toes, did you maybe think fighting in front of Zuko’s room is exactly what he _doesn’t_ need?” Both Aang and Katara jumped, nearly slamming their heads into each other, at the sudden appearance of Toph. She was standing just a few feet away from them, smirking slightly in their direction. Aang was at least grateful that she was alone. “I told everyone else you were telling the truth about Sparky possibly being contagious, so they’re staying in the courtyard.” She explained, walking a few steps closer. “You’re welcome by the way. You’re such a bad liar, Sokka was half-convinced Sparky had turned evil again and had found some way to control you into doing his evil bidding.”

Aang hardly thought that was fair. He wasn’t _that_ bad. He really wasn’t –

The important thing right now. Zuko was. And Toph being in this hallway marked the _third_ person who knew about Zuko’s predicament. Aang didn’t know why or even how the former prince had kept his orientation a secret, but he knew Zuko wasn’t going to appreciate that Aang had accidentally discovered it and would be even less thrilled that he had managed to let it slip to two other people.

“I already knew,” Toph told him, her smirk growing as she correctly guessed where Aang’s thoughts were heading. “His scent started changing two days ago when his preheat started. I figured you all caught it too and were giving him space. I didn't realize until I heard you guys start yelling at each other down here that you had no idea how to handle a heat.”

“You knew he was an _omega_?” Katara asked, incredulous.

“You didn’t?” Toph responded, her voice almost disbelieving. “It’s not that hard to notice. He acts like a total omega.”

“No, he doesn't!" Katara said immediately. "Omegas are gentle and kind and they like soft things and they don't fight unless threatened and-"

“You do know those stereotypes are complete bullpigshit, right?” Toph interjected, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Katara seemed too taken about to even correct Toph’s language. “Omegas aren’t any more gentle than other orientations. Just because people assume they should be the ones taking care of the children and the house doesn’t make them any more gentle or soft than other orientations.” There was a slight bitterness in her voice and Aang wondered how many times she had been subjected to lectures on the place of omegas in her own home.

“Sure omegas like soft, comfy things but lots of people like soft, comfy things it’s just that omegas and beta girls are the only ones who are allowed to _express_ that.” Toph continued and yeah, the bitterness in her voice was even more pronounced now. “Omegas are just as capable as fighting as any other orientation and honestly, I think their protectiveness makes them more _aggressive_ fighters, not less.”

“Fine, you’re right! I shouldn’t make assumptions about omegas!” Katara said, throwing her hands out in exasperation. “That still doesn’t mean Zuko acts like an omega!”

“Yeah, he does, Sugar Queen. Just because you hate him so much you can’t tell doesn’t mean the rest of us are so _blind_.” Toph seemed to smirk a little at her own blind joke before continuing. “I’ve known since we encountered his crazy sister in that Earth Kingdom town before Ba Sing Se. He wouldn’t let anyone near his uncle after he fell and his scent was practically screaming with distress.” Toph sounded proud of herself and Aang had to admit, looking back, that Zuko had been very protective in that instance. “And he always shies away from Sokka and Aang more than he does everyone else in the group, because they are alphas and he was probably taught some bullpigshit about how proper omegas don’t get too close to alphas they aren’t related to. And he’s always got an eye out when the Duke is playing too close to the edges of the temple. And he was super careful with me after he burned my feet and was carrying me around. Plus,” Toph continued, a note of mischief in her voice now. “I took advantage of that to give him a good sniff and he definitely smells like an omega. He’s good at masking it but you can tell if you’re close enough.”

“You sniffed his scent without permission?” Aang finally broke in, indignant on Zuko’s behalf. Knowing what everyone smelled like was inevitable, of course, but there was a difference between a passive understanding of someone’s scent and an active attempt to seek it out.

“I had my suspicions.” Toph answered unapologetically. “I gotta say, given Sugar Queen’s reaction, I’m not surprised Sparky kept it so hidden. I don’t think any normal person would have been able to tell.” Toph had an abnormally good sense of smell – she had tried to convince them that the Badgermoles had taught her how to use Earthbending to sniff things out just like they had taught her to see with it, but everyone was pretty sure she had just been born with the abilitiy - so it wasn't that surprising to Aang that she could discern the difference between a masked omega and a true beta. It didn't make it _right_ , though.

“That was a huge invasion of privacy, Toph.” Aang told her, laying on his best “I’m the Avatar and I’m disappointed in you” voice. Toph, in true fashion, just waved it off.

“Yeah, yeah. Do you honestly think yapping loudly in front of his door while he’s going through a heat is any better? He’s already miserable. There’s no reason to make it _worse_.” Toph told them. She had a point, although Aang wasn’t about to admit it.

“We just wanted to make sure he has everything he needs,” Aang said, a little self-consciously. He really hoped Zuko hadn’t overheard him and Katara talking about him – that probably would make things worse instead of better. Especially if he heard Katara’s disbelief about his orientation.

“He’s _sixteen_. Way older than the rest of us. I’m sure he knows how to handle something that _literally happens to him on a regular basis._ ” And yeah, that was actually a pretty good point. But Aang had realized something about his firebending teacher in the admittedly few days they had spent together wherein the other boy wasn’t trying to kidnap them.

Zuko seemed to have no conceptual idea of how to take care of himself.

Aang had first thought this after seeing him brush off his injuries after Combustion Man’s final attack and the thought had only increased with every meal he skipped and every day he trained himself almost to exhaustion before helping with any chores Katara would allow him to do. Toph was right that Zuko must have experience with heats but Aang was probably just as correct that Zuko probably wouldn’t get everything he needed to make his heat as comfortable as possible.

The fact that he had hidden away and not told anyone what was about to happen was proof enough. 

Did he even have _food_?

“I just want to make sure he’s okay.” Aang finally said, his voice quiet.

“Why not just ask him, then?” Toph said, as though it was as simple as that.

“It’s not that simple, Toph!” Katara interjected, looking vaguely horrified at the idea of interrupting Zuko during his heat. Toph scoffed.

“Sure it is!” And before either Aang or Katara could stop her, the tiny girl had marched past them and slammed her first hard against the door to Zuko’s room, leaving a decent sized dent. “Hey Sparky! You alright in there?”

For several moments, Aang was almost hopeful that Zuko was sleeping and hadn’t heard their conversation or Toph’s slammed first. But the firebender was an exceptionally light sleeper and Toph hadn’t been at all subtle and so it was a disappointment but not a surprise when a quiet but heartfelt “Go _away_!” was heard from the depths of the room.

Zuko sounded _awful_. Aang knew from Gyomo that heats were hardly pleasant, but Zuko sounded almost like he was _dying_ , all quiet and miserable. He shared a look with Katara; his worry was, perhaps not too surprising, mirrored in her bright blue eyes. So at least he wasn’t imagining that Zuko sounded that bad.

Toph seemed to hear it too. She banged against the door again.

“ _Go away_!” Zuko cried again.

“Nope!” Toph shouted back. “You sound awful, so we’re doing a welfare check! Either you get off your butt and open this door, or I’m slamming it open! Don’t think that stuff you propped against it will stop me!” Zuko had put stuff in front of his door? Did he distrust them so much that he thought they might try to _hurt_ him while he was vulnerable?

Had someone actually hurt him in a previous heat?

 _That_ was not a thought Aang wanted to dwell on.

There was silence behind the door for a long moment. Then a loud sound, the perfect mixture between a snarl and a groan of defeat sounded from inside the room. “Fucking _fine_!” Came Zuko’s growled response and Aang didn’t even have the heart to be offended at the surprisingly foul language. “But I’m not getting up! And the Avatar and the waterbender have to stay outside!” Aang was planning on doing that anyway – it wasn’t like Zuko’s resignation at Toph’s behavior was anything actually resembling consent – but he couldn’t deny that it hurt a little that he had been one of the ones Zuko had singled out. It made sense, as he was an alpha, but he had also been the one most concerned and that had to count for something?

He just wanted a _few_ friendship points. As a treat.

Toph didn’t waste any time before slamming her foot onto the ground and forcing the door – and whatever lay beyond it – back and away. Zuko’s scent was even stronger now and Aang had to resist the urge to twitch his nose. It wasn’t a bad thing, necessarily, but he really wasn’t all that used to being able to actually _smell_ Zuko.

Zuko’s room was dark but that didn’t mean Aang couldn’t make out the miserable heap that was the omega, laid out on a thin bed roll in the middle of the stone room. He had somehow managed to find an extra blanket – perhaps he had brought it with him – and had used those and his spare clothes to form some pitiable example of a nest to curl into. Aang could see that he had placed a canteen of water close to himself as well as a pile of fruits and what looked like a small heap of dried fish. It looked very much like Zuko had planned to wall himself into the room with as little rations as he could get by with and wait out his heat completely alone.

Aang felt incredibly sad, in that instance, for Zuko. Whatever their differences in the past, no omega deserved to spend their heat in such a miserable manner.

Zuko, for his own part, looked just as miserable as Aang would expect. His pale skin was abnormally flushed and he was curled into himself, one hand raised to gently press into his abdomen as though hoping to massage some of the pain away. He didn’t even bother to muster the strength to sit up as Toph approached him, but glared at her balefully as she carefully approached him.

“You really planned on staying like this for a week, Sparky?” Toph’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet and only served to make Zuko glare even more fiercely.

“Four days. And I’m _fine_. Now go away.”

“You hardly even have a nest!” Surprisingly, it was Katara, standing next to Aang and peering into the room, who raised that objection. Zuko did sit up at that, for the sheer purpose that his glare was closer to Katara’s face.

“I’m _fine_. This is way more than I had for my last heat.”

They didn’t have time to unpack all of that but boy, did Aang want to. Pacifist though he was, he couldn’t deny that there was something about Zuko’s statement that made him want to throw something off the side of the mountain.

“That doesn’t mean you have to now.” That was Toph that time. She was close enough to Zuko now that she could touch him, if she wanted. Instead she settled with plopping down next to him, on the edge of his bedroll. “You could have said something. We would have given you stuff to make this easier.”

“I’m _fine_.” Zuko insisted, inching slightly away from her. Aang wanted to argue but he felt it wasn’t his place. He was already invading enough of Zuko’s privacy, standing at the threshold of his room. And it seemed like Toph, surprisingly enough, had it handled.

“Nope.” Toph answered, her voice almost cheerful as she popped the last part of the word as obnoxiously as possible. “See my parents always thought I would be an omega so they made me learn all about how absolutely shitty heats are and what I’d want to make them better. You don’t have nearly enough to make this not shitty, therefore, it’s not fine.”

“So?” Zuko responded, his voice harsh.

“So, I’m going to stay in this room and make you a proper nest. And then I’m going to live in here with you for however long it takes for your body to stop rebelling against you.” Aang didn’t think this was at all how Gyomo and the other omegas in the temple had gotten people to comfort them through their heats but he couldn’t deny the effectiveness. He could already see Zuko, easily one of the most stubborn people he’d ever met, wavering.

“It’s not necessary.” Zuko said finally, his voice dismissive. “I can handle this on my own.”

“I’m sure you can. Lots of omegas in the Earth Kingdom do all the time. It’s considered distatesful for betas and alphas to be around an omega in heat and most families won’t let their own out without supervision even if it would make someone else’s kid less miserable. But you don’t have to, therefore you won’t.” Toph grinned then, spreading her toes out so that they just barely brushed against one of Zuko’s legs. Zuko glared at her but made no motion to push her foot away.

“You aren’t going to give up, are you?”

“Ah, Sparky, you know me so well!” Toph cheered. Zuko’s glare only seemed to grow more.

“Fine, then. But the other two have to go. And no one else can come in.” They were simple demands – Aang didn’t even mind the clear rejection in Zuko’s voice. At least he was letting Toph stay, so he wouldn’t be completely alone.

“Of course not. A beta and an alpha lurking around a poor, defenseless omega’s room? How shameful!” Toph’s voice was clearly full of mocking sarcasm which was probably the only thing that prevented Zuko from outright attacking her. As it was, he still twitched violently as though her words had struck him.

“I’m not defenseless!” He hissed and Aang had to admit, even in pain and obviously flustered, Zuko made an intimidating figure when he glared like that.

“No, you’re not.” Toph agreed and she almost sounded actually serious. “But you don’t want them here, so they’ll leave.” Toph turned her face towards them then. “You guys are going to bring me some stuff first though.”

“Of course!” Aang was quick to say and Katara, even with as reluctant as she had been to help earlier, nodded just as quickly.

“We need all the spare blankets. And I want some of Appa’s fur stuffed into the bags Sweetness takes to the market – we’ll use those as pillows. Twinkle Toes can grab those. And we need more filling foods than Sparky here managed to collect. And some cold water. We got to keep his fever in check.”

“Right away!” Aang said at the same time as Katara said, “I’ll grab whatever food we have left over.”

“Good, go now.” Toph told them and neither wasted any time before turning away from the door. They had hardly taken a step before Toph had slammed the door back to its spot with a small stomp of her foot. It had been a quick action but Aang had still heard Zuko, very faintly, ask why Toph seemed to care so much. Aang was rather disappointed that he hadn’t gotten to hear the answer but not only would it be an even bigger breach of trust to try and listen at that door, he was pretty sure Toph would send him through one of the walls if she caught him trying.

“I can’t believe Zuko really is an omega,” Katara whispered as they began walking down the hallway. “Or that he’s letting Toph help him.”

“It’s always a good sign, when someone is willing to take aid from a friend.” Aang said a little tentatively. Katara was being kind to Zuko because she had seen how truly miserable his heat had him feeling but that didn’t mean she had in anyway forgiven him. Aang knew better than to push the issue too far.

Katara didn't seem to want to accept his words. She didn’t stop walking but her face hardened. “Just because I agreed to help Zuko get food doesn’t mean I accept him as a friend. It’s just unbecoming to let an omega suffer.” Aang thought her words were a little problematic, a little too close to the ways he had heard men talk about Katara as a girl, but it was not the time to push the issue. Helping Zuko was the most important thing right now, and if that meant letting Katara slide on a few unfavorable opinions about the other boy’s orientation, Aang would willingly make the trade.

“That’s fair.” He said just as they entered the courtyard. Haru, Teo, and Sokka were still there, huddled around in a circle while the Duke, newly awakened, ran rampant around the courtyard.

“So? Is the jerkbender going to get us all with a gross infectious disease?” Sokka demanded the moment he caught sight of them.

Aang and Katara shared a look.

It would be easier, really, to just tell the rest of the group the truth. It wasn’t like they could keep the charade up for four days, especially with Toph having shoved her way into Zuko’s room to spend his heat with him. But it also wasn’t their secret to share.

And Aang just knew that Sokka was going to act super-duper weird once he found out the truth. Katara had already shown that she had some strange opinions about omegas, Sokka was bound to be ten times worse.

It was best to just leave him and the other boys in the dark, at least until Zuko was able to tell them whatever he was comfortable with them knowing himself.

“He is, but we think leaving him quarantined will be enough to keep everyone else from catching it. Apparently Toph already had been in contact with him earlier, so she’s volunteered to stay with him until he’s in the clear.” Katara lied smoothly, much more adept than Aang was. Just another thing to admire about her, really.

Sokka looked unsure. “Are we sure Toph is safe with him? He’s not going to get the sniffles and end up burning her hair, right?”

“No, it’s not that kind of sickness.” Aang said. It wasn’t even a lie, really.

Teo and Haru seemed to accept the excuse readily and turned back to the Duke, making sure he didn’t skip too close to the temple’s crumbling edge. Sokka still looked unconvinced, however.

“Why does it feel like you two are hiding something?” He demanded, accusatory eyes darting between Aang and Katara. Katara made an impressive show of scoffing at her brother.

“If you want to get sick because you don’t believe us, be our guest. I’m sure Toph will be happy to have to take care of enough dumb sick boy.” Katara’s words did the trick. Sokka immediately dropped his suspicious gaze.

“I was just joking! Obviously, the jerkbender is actually sick. Nothing else would be able to keep him down. Spirits, Katara, you can be so uptight, you know?” Aang winced at Sokka’s choice of words but Katara, apparently invested in getting Zuko proper food as soon as possible, let them go with just a warning glare.

Aang was glad they had decided not to tell Sokka and the others. He was even more sure Sokka wouldn’t be able to handle the news well.

Of course, it was still entirely unlikely that they would be successful in keeping the truth from the rest of the group for four whole days, but at least they had delayed the inevitable.

And, at the very least, Sokka’s reaction once he found out that Zuko was an omega was sure to be _hilarious._

At least until he inevitably said something stupid about the whole orientation and Zuko decided being on team good wasn’t worth _not_ stabbing the Water Tribe alpha.

But they would cross that bridge when they got to it. For now, Aang had Appa-pillows to make.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I have been absolutely living for the ATLA renaissance and I've always wanted to try writing an alpha/beta/omega story so I had a lot of fun creating this and I hope you enjoyed reading it! For now, this is a stand-alone but I might decide to write more in this verse. If I do, I will probably include Kataang and Zukka as pairings, so please be aware if neither of those are your thing! Again, thanks for reading!


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